Unconventional Lighting for Capturing Those Special Images

Unconventional Lighting for Capturing Those Special Images

Nathan L. Williams

NSS 52960, Huntsville Grotto, www.realmsofreality.com

Published in February 2006 NSS News

The 396' Topless Dome of Tumbling Rock Cave

Loren's Light - Tumbling Rock Cave

Cave photography has always fascinated me. When I first started exploring the underground realms fifteen years ago I felt a need to show others the beauty below. It was not until about three years ago that I started to take cave photography seriously. I bought a second hand Pentax K1000 SLR, a small electronic flash, and set out to shoot the most amazing pictures anyone had ever seen. The reality of cave photography quickly put me in my place and I began the grueling process of learning techniques that would yield acceptable and unique photos. In a way I am wired a little different than most folks. It was in a cave that I first learned to use a camera. Prior to that, I had very little knowledge on the subject. As I learned the tricks of the trade, I felt the need to get creative so that I could have my own unique and original shots. I started to think of new ways to light a scene and tried to steer clear of conventional techniques. One cave that I visited often offered me my first challenge of non conventional lighting. The Cave was Tumbling Rock and the subject was the Topless Dome – a 396 waterfall dome. I had visited the dome many times and was well acquainted with lighting it for groups of cavers to see. One day it hit me, why not try to capture this place on film?

I began pushing my limited knowledge about as far as it would go as I set out to capture the mighty dome. My trick lay in the massive spotlights I used to illuminate the dome on previous trips. These are rechargeable three and ten million candle power spotlights. I had tried using the spotlights in other photos, but always seemed to end in total failure as the print would have a nasty hotspot in it. The secret was in the moisture from the waterfall. If the moisture could diffract enough light them maybe the hotspot would not be as noticeable. Also since the hotspot of the light had to travel almost four hundred feet before striking anything then maybe it would be diffused enough to yield an acceptable image. For my first attempt I set up the camera and got the shot framed up. Two three million candlepower spotlights were placed on the ground in the waterfall pointing straight up. I took a deep breath, collected my thoughts, and told myself that I was going to do this as I signaled for the lights to be turned on. There before me lay an awe inspiring sight. A 396 foot shaft with all its detail was there for me to capture and keep forever. I started shooting an counting. I had absolutely no idea of how long to expose the film so I figured I would shoot several and see what worked. In my haste I had forgotten to bring a watch. So there I was kneeling beside my camera with the shutter release in my hand counting off the seconds the best I could. 33-34-35-36 CLICK! 36 seconds. I shot several more. Some with more exposure and some with less. Two weeks was the turn around time on slides. I called to see if they were read and raced to pick them up. The lady at the camera store looked at me funny as I held up the sheet of slides and began to grin. Even though the slides were small, I could make out the Topless Dome. I remember how excited I was as I drove home so anxious to put the slides in the slide projector to get a really good look. I had failed with the lights before, would this time be no different? I loaded the slides into the projector and turned it on. As I focused the projector you would have thought I was a kid in a candy store. I was so happy. There it was, The Topless Dome of Tumbling Rock. The lights had worked just the way I had hoped they would. There was virtually no nasty hotspot and you could see clearly all the way to the top. For me that shot was a turning point. I thought maybe I have something to offer the caving community with these photos. I started shooting the place more and more, trying to hone my skills a little more each time. Later I would return to shoot the same scene using two of the three million candlepower spots and a single ten million for a total of sixteen million candlepower.

The spotlights were great for the dome but now a new challenge loomed over me. I had the desire to create “what if” photos that depicted light with the tone of sunlight to be cast in places where the sun does not shine. On past trips to the local hardware store I remember seeing compact fluorescent lighting that was about the same color temp as sunlight. I had seen fluorescent lighting used in cave photography before but those were mostly small battery operated units and were the wrong color temperature for my application. The compact fluorescent lights I ended up using were Sylvania 42 watt that emitted 2600 lumens as a color temperature of 5100 Kelvin (close to the color of the sun at high noon). These lights would require a 110VAC power source. I laughed at the thought of pulling over a mile of extension cord to the shot location int the cave. I opted for a better solution and built a portable power supply using a batter form the spotlight, an inverter, and a charger. This I packaged nicely in a pelican case. This made the system very portable and durable. The box had a display showing who many watts were being used and the voltage of the battery. I would automatically shut down if the voltage dropped below the acceptable range to run the equipment. I finished the project on Friday night before the trip on Saturday (I have a habit of doing that). Testing time was here and the place would once again be Tumbling Rock. Here is an interesting side story, Friday night before the trip I dreamed that there was light shining down thought the entrance that leads up to the Topless Dome. In my dream there was someone there beneath it looking up and it looked amazing. When I woke up I knew exactly where I wanted to test the light system. It was time to see if I could make my dream from the night before become a real image. We carefully set up the equipment and placed the lighting I was down at the camera and gave the instructions to turn on the lights. The box chirped, the cooling fans sped up, and the light started doing the fluorescent flicker as it sprung to life. There it was. The image in real life, just as I had seen in my dream. It was so unique that I just sat there for a moment trying to take it all in. The power box was working, the light was working, the color was right, the scene looked good. It was time to grab something I could hold onto so I placed my model and started snapping away. After shooting 39 images we decided to power down, pack up, and head out.

When I got home I transferred the images to my computer and sorted through them. Picture 39 was the one. That picture became known as Loren's Light. It was neat to imagine the Topless Dome had collapsed allowing the sunlight to shine down. With this alternative lighting I was able to capture both my imagination and my dream. Some of my caving buddies who saw the picture requested that I shoot the same scene with them as the model and I have done so on a couple occasions.

My short time in photography has taught me some valuable lessons. There are rules that can be followed and there are rules that can be broken. New tricks can be learned and dreams can end up as a framed print on your wall. Lighting for your shots does not always come from a strobe, bulb, or the Sun. You might be able to capture your image with those sources but always feel free to step out of the norm. and try something different. You will capture a place where few have been and many will never see.

Special thanks to members of the Huntsville Grotto for their support with these photos, to Danielle Nuding who sherpas, models, and helps me test new lighting tricks, and to Loren Marino who was the model for Loren's Light.